Since its founding in 2019, Rap Fame has been dedicated to empowering independent artists with the tools, visibility, and community they need to grow and succeed. The platform now boasts more than 30 million downloads, has surpassed 1 billion total plays, and awarded more than $300,000 to independent artists. Along the way, Rap Fame has also sparked real connections, three babies have been born to artists who met through the platform, highlighting its impact on both music and community.
Success on Rap Fame, the community-powered hip hop platform with 20M registered artists worldwide, is about more than clout or winning competitions. It’s about growth and expansion as an artist, about doing what supports the community spirit. For the sixth year, Rap Fame has recognized these versions of success by honoring the unique talent on the platform with the Rap Fame Awards.
“Our awards are a grassroots, community-driven answer to the GRAMMYs and other big-name prizes,” explained Rap Fame co-founder Dan Patapau. “The MTV Awards were a big part of my life as a teen, so I wanted to replicate this top-tier model for our community. Recognition is an important piece of feeling like you’re part of something, to create this feeling of celebration, of belonging.”
To ensure fairness, hundreds of thousands of community votes are coupled with expert opinions of a special guest judge. This year, it was icon Scott Storch, a producer who’s worked with everyone from Dr Dre to Beyoncé, who’s garnered more than 50B streams, and who even appeared in a GTA game. Storch was joined by a killer lineup of other guest judges, including GRAMMY‑winning producer Jahlil Beats, Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow star Cody Ray, rising talent Nikki Paige, as well as Ben Jayne, producer behind the platinum hit “New Freezer” with Rich the Kid & Kendrick Lamar. In addition, Rap Fame’s team weighed in, creating a balanced picture of who’s really making a difference and making great music on the platform.
This year, the Awards acknowledged artists, producers, and standout community members in 18 categories. These categories included best producer, best male and female artists, and best “rookie” or newcomer, as well as community awards that highlighted Rap Fame users who went above and beyond to contribute to the platform. Awards also gave a nod to the best crews, an important aspect of Rap Fame, and to achievements in different formats, including best freestyle and best cypher.
“After listening to the tracks, I can say that the talent on this platform is very real,” noted Storch, who chose a track by 12-year-old rap wunderkind Cairo Snow as his #1.
Storch’s feedback had done more than just pick winners. It inspired and encouraged Rap Fame creators to keep improving and growing as artists and producers. “Having that commentary from such an established, profound industry professional means so much to us as independent artists just doing our thing and following our passions,” said Candelady, Rap Fame MC and Woman of the Year Award winner.
“Rap Fame wants everyone who comes to the platform to take their skills to the next level,” Patapau reflected. “We encourage people by connecting them and by giving them the goals and tools that push them to new heights. The Rap Fame Awards are part of that.”
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